Vendor Reviews

[p2oh]

We just returned from our magical Shades of Green Wedding and EPCOT Dessert party! Everything was perfect, even when it wasn't!

Venue- Shades of Green - We were super lucky to be able use the facility based on my husband's position within the department of defense. The grounds were immaculate and the banquet personnel did a fantastic job of securing the gazebo and setting up our guest chairs and sand ceremony table. We were given ample time to decorate and clean up. We booked a JR Suite and it was perfect! It was just steps from the gazebo. If you have the ability to utilize this facility, do not hesitate.

Hair/Makeup- Beautiful You Makeup -Sarah Wahl- I cannot tell you have unbelievably impressed we were with these ladies. They were very professional and never made us feel rushed. They redid my mother's hair three times because she is very particular and they were so calm and easy going and never once made us feel anything but 100% comfortable. They arrived early which was no problem, other than I was a little nervous about it being so long before my wedding. There was no reason for my concern, my makeup stayed ALL DAY LONG. We used the airbrush, but I am a sweater and was afraid it would all run off before the ceremony. And my hair was gorgeous!! Everyone commented on how beautiful and natural looking it was. Even my mother, who refuses to allow anyone to touch her hair, loved her hair in the end.

Dress Steaming - Carolyn Allen - They did a great job, my dress had not been steamed since it was purchased and shipped, so it was extremely wrinkled. They called to see if they could come early to work on the dress. When they were finished, it looked even more beautiful than when I tried it on in the shop.

Charter Bus - Colobus - All of our guests were staying at POP so we rented a charter bus to use for the evening. The price was very reasonable for a six hour charter. It allowed us as many trips as we wanted to and from POP to Shades and to Boardwalk (where we had dinner) and back.

Photography and Video -Randy Chapman and STVS - I haven't seen any footage, but they were both great to work with! They very unobtrusive. I didn't even know they were there half the time. They worked amazingly well together, you can tell they work together a lot and have a great chemistry. They even went with is to the Boardwalk and took photos and video there. I can't wait to see the outcome!

Dinner - Big River Grille - We had about 30 people in our party and had dinner there in the back room. Anthony, the manager, was great to work with, we had a set three course menu and did a consumption bar. I felt like it was very reasonable for the choices, some of our guests commented that it was the best meal they had eaten in Disney.

Dessert Party - Disney Special Events- This was the only disappointing aspect of our wedding weekend. It was held the night following the wedding on Sunday. It was through no fault of Disney, but because of the weather, all of my plans had to be changed at the the last minute. My even coordinator called me about an hour prior to the start to let me know because of weather the dessert portion was being moved inside. We were scheduled for UK Lochside and were moved to a VIP lounge in Norway. The room was nice, but it was not the feel I had in mind. I also felt we were rushed to get outside for the fireworks, so we were unable to have the relaxed pace I had wanted. We ended up at the what they called Mexico, but was directly behind the gift shop when you first enter the World Showcase. Let me just say, the view was AMAZING. My only problem was that our original spot had seating, which was important due to some medical issues surrounding my mother-in-law. The new area had not seating and it was very difficult for her and a couple others, especially since we were so rushed to get from the food to the viewing. If that was the worst thing that happened I consider us very lucky.

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them!

I can't believe I forgot, but we also had a harpist.

Music - Christine McPhill - Orlando Harpist- She was OUTSTANDING!!! So wonderful to work with and such a wide variety of offerings. She added such a unique aspect to our ceremony. I had her play Disney Love songs prior to the ceremony and traditional songs during the processionals and zippity doo dah for our exit. She also sent me the sweetest note following our ceremony, you can tell she really loves what she does!

[Queenie122]

Thanks for the reviews! Did you use a package at Shades of Green or did you rent the Gazebo separately? How long did your ceremony last / how long do you have the gazebo for? Did you all stay at Shades? Do you have any pictures to share?

What was the schedule of your day like?

We're trying to plan for a DFTW but we don't know if we're going to be able to afford it. So if it ends up we can't, we'll probably do the wedding at Shades so I'm trying to get all the info I can because I think we can do something really nice there.

[lurkyloo]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! This is very helpful information.

[DisneyDJChuck]

Hi there!

You can find plenty of wedding/reception pics and slideshows from Shades of Green here:

http://classicdiscjockeys.com/blog/?s=shades

Hope this helps!

[p2oh]

Originally Posted by Queenie122

Thanks for the reviews! Did you use a package at Shades of Green or did you rent the Gazebo separately? How long did your ceremony last / how long do you have the gazebo for? Did you all stay at Shades? Do you have any pictures to share?

What was the schedule of your day like?

We're trying to plan for a DFTW but we don't know if we're going to be able to afford it. So if it ends up we can't, we'll probably do the wedding at Shades so I'm trying to get all the info I can because I think we can do something really nice there.

We did not do a package. I found that I could do it cheaper and get exactly what. I wanted. We had the gazebo from basically 3p-7p. Our ceremony was at 5:30 so we had plenty of set up time. They were great to work with, I told them what I needed as far as set up, like chairs and a table with linens for our sand ceremony.

We rented a junior suite on the night before and the night of the wedding. It was PERFECT!! It was a great place to get ready, we had plenty of room, it sleeps six so my MOH, mom and FG stayed there the night before with me. It had two full bath rooms and a mini dining room and living room. I even ended up having the guys come over there and get ready in the main area and I stayed in the bedroom with the other bathroom, just so Randy could get some pictures of them getting ready too.

My schedule was dress steaming at 11am, hair and makeup at 11:30am, first bus pick up at 4p, gazebo set-up(by friends), video/photo arrive 4:30, ceremony 5:30, dinner 7p.

Our ceremony lasted about 20 minutes, but they didn't put any limitations on us.

I have several pictures on fb, but I'm not sure how to put them over here, if you would like pm your info and I will send you a friend request so you can see them.

Hope this help, please let me know if you have any other questions!

[disbride713]

Did you price transportation through DFTW, or just hire the vendor on your own? I was informed that Mears has a lock on all of the charter transportation in and throughout Disney. Can you provide their contact information?

It would be interesting to see if this vendor is more reasonable, especially since I do not need the large bus.

Thanks!

[Icecoldpenguin]

I am so glad this thread was made I think it would be cool to have a vendor review thread if we don't have one already. This could be where brides place their vendor reviews from their planning journals so it is easier to find. What do you ladies think?

Teresa

[p2oh]

Originally Posted by disbride713

Did you price transportation through DFTW, or just hire the vendor on your own? I was informed that Mears has a lock on all of the charter transportation in and throughout Disney. Can you provide their contact information?

It would be interesting to see if this vendor is more reasonable, especially since I do not need the large bus.

Thanks!

Because we did not have DFTW I didn't have to go through them. I called various vendors in the Orlando area and Colbus was the cheapest. They did however quote me the same price for the minbus and the coach bus, so we went with the coach. We paid $350 for six hours of unlimited charter. There number is 407.738.7739

[disbride713]

Originally Posted by p2oh

Because we did not have DFTW I didn't have to go through them. I called various vendors in the Orlando area and Colbus was the cheapest. They did however quote me the same price for the minbus and the coach bus, so we went with the coach. We paid $350 for six hours of unlimited charter. There number is 407.738.7739

Thank you for the information!

[Queenie122]

Originally Posted by Icecoldpenguin

I am so glad this thread was made I think it would be cool to have a vendor review thread if we don't have one already. This could be where brides place their vendor reviews from their planning journals so it is easier to find. What do you ladies think?

Teresa

That sounds like a really great idea! I love reading everyone's planning journal's but sometimes it can be a little frustrating when you are looking for one little piece of info and someone just directs you to their planning journal and you have to search through the whole thing. Being able to look through one thread for reviews on vendors would be really very useful, especially if it was stickied!

[DisMie]

Hi! Thanks for all of the wonderful info. I have a few questions if you don't mind. How much was your menu per person? What did you have on your menu? What were the minimums? Also, I've been to Big River Grille a few times but I can't seem to picture where they would put a group of 30 and I don't remember seeing a private room anywhere. Was it a private room or an area they set aside just for your group?

Again, thank you for the info, it's very helpful! It's okay if you aren't comfortable listing prices.

[p2oh]

Originally Posted by DisMie

Hi! Thanks for all of the wonderful info. I have a few questions if you don't mind. How much was your menu per person? What did you have on your menu? What were the minimums? Also, I've been to Big River Grille a few times but I can't seem to picture where they would put a group of 30 and I don't remember seeing a private room anywhere. Was it a private room or an area they set aside just for your group?

Again, thank you for the info, it's very helpful! It's okay if you aren't comfortable listing prices.

It wasn't a separate closed off room, it was the back section of the restaurant. It it right by the rest rooms, so people could see us, but it wasn't a bother, just basically a lot of congratulations. I am going to attach the menus so you can see what you have to choose from.



On Disney’s Boardwalk
Menu A $37 Per person

Soda, tea and coffee included.


Your Choices this Evening are

Entrées
Served with choice of a Brew house salad, Caesar salad or Cup of Beer Cheese soup.


Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Penne pasta blended with grilled chicken in a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce with Roma tomatoes and mushrooms.

New York Strip
Grilled 8 oz. New York strip served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.


Salmon Caesar Salad
Fresh Salmon, grilled and served atop a classic combination of romaine lettuce and creamy Asiago Cheese dressing

Hazelnut Crusted Chicken
Boneless chicken coated with hazelnuts, sautéed and served in Sun dried Cherry sauce. Accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day.


Dessert and Coffee
Your choice between a wonderful piece of our New York style Cheesecake or a Chocolate Confusion Cake.


*The above Party Menu not available for Disney Dining Discounts
*Not valid with any other discount
*Taxes and 18% gratuity not included in menu price*





On Disney’s Boardwalk
Menu B $48 Per person


Soda, tea and coffee included.


Appetizer
Chicken Quesadillas

Entrées
Served with choice of a Brew house salad, Caesar salad or Cup of Beer Cheese Soup.


Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Penne pasta blended with grilled chicken in a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce with Roma tomatoes and mushrooms.

New York Strip
Grilled 8 oz. New York strip served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables

Atlantic Salmon
Salmon filet, flame grilled to perfection, topped with dill butter, served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day.

Hazelnut Crusted Chicken
Boneless chicken coated with hazelnuts, sautéed and served in Sun dried Cherry sauce. Accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day.


Dessert and Coffee
Your choice between a wonderful piece of our New York style Cheesecake or a slice of Chocolate Confusion Cake.


*The above Party Menu not available for Disney Dining Discounts
*Not valid with any other discount
*Taxes and 18% gratuity not included in menu price*


On Disney’s Boardwalk
Menu C $55 Per person


Soda, tea and coffee included.


Appetizers
Beef or Chicken Nachos

Entrées
Served with choice of a Brew house salad, Caesar salad or Cup of Beer Cheese Soup.


Shrimp & Scallop Penne Pasta
Sautéed shrimp and scallops in pesto cream sauce with penne pasta.

New York Strip & Shrimp Combo
Grilled 8 oz. New York strip with large scampi-style shrimp, served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Rocket Red Ribs
Pork ribs, dry-rubbed and basted with our Rocket Red Barbecue Sauce. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Hazelnut Crusted Chicken
Boneless chicken coated with hazelnuts, sautéed and served in Sun dried Cherry sauce. Accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day

Dessert and Coffee
Your choice between a wonderful piece of our New York style Cheesecake or a slice of Chocolate Confusion Cake.


*The above Party Menu not available for Disney Dining Discounts
*Not valid with any other discount
*Taxes and 18% gratuity not included in menu price*

[DisMie]

Thank you so much!!! Those menus sound delicious

[p2oh]

Originally Posted by DisMie

Thank you so much!!! Those menus sound delicious

The food was out of this world! I had several people comment that the steak was the best food they had all week and we had eated all over Disney. Everything was served hot and fresh and cooked to order. I would highly reccomend them for a private function. Anthony did say the other option for seating with a group was in the room with the brewery, but it was high tables and I didn't want that with my dress and with the kids.